Chess
by ForevermoreNevermore
Summary: A new Prince comes to Camelot for a 'friendly' visit. He soon wears out his welcome with Arthur when he 'borrows' his manservant for the time. When Princes clash, could Arthur possibly choose friendship over more pressing matters?
1. Pawn

_This show is so great, I thought I would try my pen (figurative) at a fanfiction. I'm warning before-hand, Merlin may be a bit too rebellious '^^ my bad._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin. It belongs to it's respective owner.

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Merlin, shockingly, was undaunted by the sheer bulk of grime that had collected on the armor. Arthur succeeded in falling off his horse (of course looking royal while doing it) into an abundant pile of mud (that… looked only slightly less royal). He now nursed a broken arm and a rather bruised ego.

"I need you to clean it. Spotless." And of course. "In an hour."

Merlin gingerly picked up a breastplate, examining it absently. "Why an hour? Haven't you fallen off your horse enough for one day?" Arthur silently fumed and rubbed his arm.

"Yes, in fact I have. I want it done because I _told_ you to have it done." Merlin flinched slightly, prompting the anger boiling to cool to a simmer, then freeze over completely. Feeling bad, he turned his expression smug. "Plus, you were late this morning."

"Of course," the manservant rolled his eyes and replaced the armor. Arthur knew better than to feel disrespected, well… he _should_, but knew he couldn't. Instead, he only grinned in his self-satisfied status quo before leaving the room, his servant, and the messy armor in one slam of a door.

Allowing for the time it took for him to stop and have a few sarcastic and witty repartees with Morgana, it only took him three minutes to run into his searching father (a new record, it usually took about five minutes for the king to find his prince).

"Arthur," his voice was characteristically hard and cross. "We have an unexpected guest and I need you to meet him." Wearily, he glanced at the younger Pendragon's broken arm but offered no comfort besides a shake of his head.

Shamed, Arthur cleared his throat, "Yes sir. Who is our visitor?"

"You'll see soon enough," then he turned and left, leaving Arthur to follow at a respectful distance. His mind whirred and worked, trying to think of possibilities. He didn't have too much time to construct a proper guess before he was presented with the answer.

The young man seemed to be Arthur's age, of Arthur's disposition, in fact the only thing he was missing was the shockingly tardy manservant and the looks (at least that's what Arthur's ego said. In reality, they could've been from the same womb). He had a smug smirk that struck Arthur with déjà vu save for the raven locks framing his chiseled face.

"This is Prince Aster Femhorn. He has come to visit us for a few months." The first opinion Arthur had was a disgusted _why?_

"Nice to meet you." Though, since Arthur was as chivalrous as could be, that was all he said.

Aster's smirk deepened, "indeed." His tone made Arthur grind his teeth. "So nice to meet you, I've heard so much about you." Yet as flattering as it was, it sent chills down his spine. _Funny, I've heard nothing of you._

"Arthur, I assume you have better things to do than to stand idle all day." Uther sniffed, prompting Arthur to actually wonder why his father had called him down there if he was only going to send him off again.

Straightening, he replied with a "yes sir" and bowing a good day, he left. Upon re-entering his room, he expected (that nagging, insistent part of his mind that kept calling Merlin 'friend') for the armor to be clean. He knew it hadn't been nearly an hour, but that just seemed to be how the servant worked. Sure enough, as soon as the door swung open the first thing he saw was his armor gleaming happily on the table and Merlin sitting on the windowsill reading a book.

The young servant didn't seem to notice him as he went to sit in the oversized window across from him, mimicking his position with his elbow propped up and his other foot hanging limply off the side.

"I think you missed a spot," he said dryly trying to fill the silence while searching Merlin's face for any sign of life. The young man closed his eyes, snorted condescendingly, then continued reading without ever sparing the prince a glance.

"I doubt it." Those couple of words shot down the prince's ego faster than any bow and arrow. Seemingly deflated, he thought of another topic.

"We have a guest." That got the young man's attention. He gently closed the book and stared at him with those big, blue eyes.

"A guest?" he echoed.

Feeling back on top of things, Arthur lent back against the sill and sighed. "Are you deaf? A prince."

"Another one?" Merlin chuckled, giving that ear-to-ear grin Arthur found himself wishing was always there, then realizing what he said, shot the prince a slightly apologetic shrug.

"You think I'm bad? I've never even talked to this prince and I already know he's worse than I am."

Merlin's face twisted in confusion, "is that possible?" Arthur rewarded him with a playful punch.

"Oh, it's a happy day in Camelot when a prince and his _servant_ can come together in the face of evil." Arthur turned in synch with Merlin as Aster's voice echoed through the room. He used the doorframe he was leaning on to push off of and the walked into the room. His head dipped in courtesy of Arthur, who did the same in return, Then, he turned his almond eyes to Merlin, his gaze holding his expectancy. Merlin held his gaze, but never budged from his spot. Aster raised his eyebrows and Arthur realized with a jolt that while he wasn't used to polite help, this _stick_ probably was.

The blond prince cleared his throat and nudged Merlin's dangling foot. The servant glanced at him curiously.

"I see your help is in need of discipline." Aster muttered, shooting Merlin a cold glare. The young man finally got what he was missing and stood up, quickly bowing. The raven prince returned with his smirk and paced around the standing man. As Aster made to walk behind the servant, he stepped forward and glanced awkwardly at Arthur. "Hmm… nice looking servant you've got here. Strong build, seems to get his work done effortlessly." He paced back around to face him, switching his gaze from the big blue eyes, the glinting armor, and back. Aster brought a strong hand to cup his chin, and while Merlin made like a skittish horse and tried to back up he merely gripped tighter. Arthur felt a biting sensation to reach up and smack away that hand, but instead smacked away that thought. "Nice big honest eyes." He paused, "probably as dumb as a dragon dung." He laughed, smacking the back of Merlin's head.

"Ouch!" Merlin muttered. Arthur couldn't help throw in his chuckles with Aster's as he saw the confused expression on his manservant's face. As soon as Aster heard Merlin's cry, his laughter stopped.

"Outspoken too. You should probably take care of that. He needs some polishing and discipline and you'd have the perfect servant." These were his parting words as he left the room, leaving the two in bewilderment.

"It _is_ possible…" Merlin hissed, rubbing the back of his head. Arthur gave no response, yet was still internally fighting swords with his urge to go and flay the absent prince. "Arthur?" he jabbed at the idea and it ran off, promising to return another day. "Arthur!"

"Eh?" he glanced up at the curious servant.

"Something wrong? You seem… mad about something." Arthur quickly realized that his face must be reflecting his inner turmoil and schooled it into a smug grin.

"Nothing's wrong," but his answer came a bit too quickly. Merlin gave you a disbelieving scowl, then returned with that Cheshire Cat grin that never failed to either aggravate him or brighten his day. Today, it just unnerved him.

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The knock came early, almost too early for Arthur's liking. He sat up in his bed and absently rubbed the back of his head.

"Merlin?" The thought was instantly deemed 'insane'. The manservant was never on time, so he was especially never early. He shook his head and got out of bed, wavering slightly from the sleep. "Come in." One of the many servants cracked open the door then found some way to fit through that microscopic slash. _Ah,_ he thought absently, watching the young man nervously stand before him. He was shaking enough to make the castle quake. _So this is why Merlin's always so strange to me, he doesn't quake at the mere sight of me._

"Sorry to wake you, sir. But the King commands you accompany him in the dining room this morning."

"Now?" Arthur whined, examining his nightclothes wryly. The quaking page lowered his gaze.

"Yes sir."

Arthur sighed, resigned, "Okay, you're dismissed." It almost seemed like the boy magically disappeared from the room, leaving the younger Pendragon to his own devices. His broken arm twitched in annoyance.

He dressed then stalked down to the dining room. The castle was abuzz with early-morning activity, servants dashed down the corridors with bundles of clothes and the like. It made him wonder what exactly went on while he slept. Also, the thought crossed his mind what it would be like to have a servant that was actually on time and did what he was told. The possibilities were endless. But, then he wouldn't have the 'joy' of being crossed with every order he made.

The dining room was filled more than usual. His father, King Uther, sat at the head of the table (as per usual), beside him his ward Morgana and beside her Aster. The seat next to the king was empty, waiting to be filled by the heir. Merlin stood at a respectful distance from Arthur's chair with a bemused and half-asleep look on his face. Uther noticed his son had arrived and waved him to his seat. Upon sitting, he finished chewing and took a sip of his drink.

"Arthur's meal," he snapped to the air behind him. With a whish, a tray was placed before him. "I usually don't talk matters over a meal, but Aster prompted me into it," he gave a small chuckle and Arthur felt a sense of foreboding wash over him that had nothing to do with the eggs scrambled on his plate. He silently ate his food while he waited for his father to continue, as he knew he would. "Aster is a marvelous prince, alas he is, at the moment, at a lack of a good servant." The eggs seemed slightly ominous now as they nearly danced off his fork. "And seeing as you have had no comment or remark on your help, I think it would be best to give him the services of your manservant while he is here." The eggs took on a life of their own and stuck a sword in his throat, stubbornly sticking in his windpipe. A reflex sent a wave through his spine and he quickly took a drink of early morning wine. Helplessly, the obstruction drowned as the red liquid won out. Out of the corner of his eyes, Merlin's face was twisted in confusion and foreboding, glancing from the prince to the other prince.

"But sire, Mer- my manservant…" he trailed off as the king set an icy cold glance on him. He would say that Merlin was always late but that would probably get him in a worse position. He turned his look from his father to Aster, forcing a grin. "…Will be by your side with bells on." Aster gave a cold snort as he examined Merlin, turned to Arthur with a triumphant smirk.

"Why thank you, I'm sure he will not only serve me well, but might learn something in the process," his words were spoken to Arthur, yet he was sure that he wasn't the only one who remembered yesterday. _Outspoken too. You should probably take care of that. He needs some polishing and discipline and you'd have the perfect servant._ Arthur wasn't positive, yet he was sure that the prince's idea of 'polishing and discipline' couldn't be pleasant. The slightly sadistic gleam in Aster's eyes rang true to his thoughts.

Uther's wild chuckle brought him back to the table, "Teaching a servant, why you are the true face of a Saint, Prince Aster."

"Oh yes," Arthur agreed, not quite noticing what he was agreeing to. The young prince turned his face slightly so he could get a better look at Merlin. Behind the young manservant's back his hands wrung each other. His already big eyes were rounded to disk-like proportions and his face held no evidence that a smile had ever graced it.

"Sire," Morgana spoke to the King. "Are you sure you wouldn't prefer to give him someone he picked out himself?" she reasoned, obviously noticing the distraught servant that she faced near directly. "The aforementioned is a wonderful servant, yet he has a temperament that matches Arthur only." She gave a microscopic smirk in their direction. Arthur raised her smirk a dark scowl. "Surely we can find Prince Aster's perfect match." She finished with the finality of an angry lioness that had finished it's meal.

"Nonsense," that single word struck down her idea and Arthur watched it crumbled to her feet. "Temperament? That has nothing to do with a servant, there should be no reason why he couldn't be anybody's servant. As for the perfect 'match', that has already been sorted, Aster asked for him himself." He finished with the finality of a hunter who'd just finished his dinner: lioness.

It was a good thing Arthur hadn't the mind to eat another forkful of eggs.

"Oh," was the only thing Morgana could possibly say.

"For the time being, the boy I sent to your room will take over his duties," Uther waved a hand at Merlin. _He's got a name,_ Arthur stabbed at that same part of the mind that wanted to flog Aster. _Merlin!_ It shouted before running away with its tongue out. Aster gave a beaming smirk, stretching his thin lips across his miraculously white teeth. Slowly he took a draft from his goblet before asking smartly.

"So, is it settled?"

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_Bwa-ha-ha! I hope you liked the chappy! There is more to come, including... is Aster as mean as we think he is? Well, of course he's as mean as I think he is, but you know what I mean. :) Reviews appreciated, loves!_


	2. Bishop

_Howdy ya'll! Thanks for all your reviews! I appreciate them so much! They mean so much to me and I'm glad you liked the chappy._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin. It belongs to it's respective owner.  
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Merlin cursed. It was his first morning to work as Aster's, and what else but… he was late. Incredibly and beyond a whisper of a doubt late. In fact, it was later than he had ever been when he was working for Arthur. _Probably nervous, this guy is…_ he couldn't quite think of a word to describe Aster. The way he sent shivers down his spine with a smirk, a single mentioned word. It was just… indescribable.

The young warlock's feet slipped over the slick rocks and he burst into Aster's room without knocking. The raven prince nearly jumped out of his skin as he hopped off his bed and glared at the young boy.

"Don't you knock?" he hissed, marching over to the table and staring him down. Merlin eased into the room and closed the door behind him.

"Sorry." He muttered, staring down at the floor. Such behavior he wasn't used to, honestly he was used to a simple glare and a chore.

"Sorry?!" he glanced up at the prince, then noticed as a wave of calm washed over his face. "I suppose I'll just have to forgive you… this time." He came closer to Merlin, fingering the sword he already had set in it's scabbard around his waist. "But I wouldn't be late again." Merlin wanted to take a step back, but then he realized that the door was right behind him and he had no space left to backtrack.

"Yes…sir," he added after a moment's consternation. Aster, who was only a little bit away from him now, smirked regally and stepped back. He began to march around the room, making a list as he did so.

"First you need to tidy my bedroom, then my armor and my clothes need cleaned. My horse needs fed and washed and by that time you could bring me my lunch. After," he stopped so he could face Merlin and show the spine-tingling smirk he was broadcasting. "I need practice with my sword."

The sun glared, unyielding, down at the warlock and his sword partner. Absently and in-between dodging rapid sword swings he noticed Arthur off to the side practicing, though the blond prince still managed to glance at him from time to time. Suddenly, Aster swung a bit harder and Merlin flew to the ground, pinned there by the sword poking harshly into his neck. His head was forced to the side and he saw Arthur watching the scene happening, though still managing to keep his new manservant at bay. _Prat,_ he thought, though not with the same venom he used to. The flat side of the blade pressed against his cheek and drew his gaze from Arthur's.

"Don't… be late again."

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Arthur heard the familiar footsteps running down the hallway, aiming for him like a charging war-horse. He knew, yet it was some comfort to see his usual scarf flailing helplessly behind Merlin as he skidded past. His hand jerked to the doorknob, then the other one rapped quietly, reluctantly. It shocked Arthur, yet he walked right past, unwilling to give in to that obnoxious part of his mind that was coming back and told him to wait and see how things were going.

"Come in," Aster called through the door. Merlin let himself in and for some reason unknown to the young prince, he felt his heart clench at a loss… and something else. He'd had Merlin for months and he couldn't get him to knock. Aster had had him for two days and already he was knocking. Something was wrong, but what could he do? Like a magnet he was drawn to the door, but he needn't place his ear against it.

"I told you…" his voice rose steadily. "Not to be late!" A crash had Arthur skipping back from the door. He could just make out Merlin's meek 'sorry', yet the crashing continued. Footsteps raged around the room, until all the noise stopped. "You will learn discipline," the voice snarled through the door. "Now, go feed my horse." Arthur flinched at the sound, and went for the doorknob. Just as his fingers danced across the surface, it budged away and he took a step back. The young manservant stepped out the door and stopped. The corners of his eyes glistened for a split second, but then he blinked and they were back to a sky blue. He didn't turn to face him, but he peered out the corner of his eyes at him.

"Sire," he muttered turning and walking off. Arthur's fury rose and he glared into the room. Aster stared right back, his face smug.

"Told you," he mouthed, stalking out of the room and brushing against Arthur's shoulder as he passed. The young Pendragon pivoted on his heel and glared after him.

"What did you do?"

"Polished him up." Now, Arthur let that part of his mind have free reign, and it ran a constant stream of pictures of Aster getting flogged, over and over and over and over.

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The fire danced, sending its shadows into a frenzy against the wall. Merlin always tried to keep his back to the wall when he was around Aster, yet it was hard when he was stroking the fire to blaze. He knew the prince well enough to suspect that he was sitting at the table with a goblet of wine, so he was surprised when he turned around to see him standing almost right beside him. The warlock gave a quick yelp of surprise and brandished the fire prod. Aster chuckled once and jerked it out of his hands with a swift movement.

"Don't you dare," he sniffed, slightly humored at the sight. Merlin snorted indignantly yet watched helplessly as his only weapon (he could show in front of people) skidded to a halt at the other side of the room.

"I wouldn't dream of it." Aster glared at him and took a threatening step forward. The fire roared at him as the warlock tried to retreat. _I'm always getting stuck with nowhere to go!_ He snapped, mentally making sure that he would keep his back empty from now on, away from all walls and fires. Yet, he couldn't help but feel a wave of courage, Aster's sword was unstrapped and on the table. "What's to keep me from quitting?" That stopped the prince in his tracks, his face blank.

"Pardon?"

Courage surged through his limbs like his beloved magic. "What's to keep me from walking out of here and quitting right now?" Aster's face showed his thoughts as he registered the threat, that registration soon turned to the sadistic humor he'd seen many times before. The courage drained slowly out of his limbs to be replaced with growing dread.

"Do you really have to ask?" he stepped forward, grabbing Merlin's chin. He slammed his head backwards and it collided hard with the mantle. Black dots danced in his vision and he bit his lip to keep in his groan. "For one thing, if you quite I'm sure the King would have your head." Merlin clutched his head and tried to make the world stop spinning. As soon as he could see relatively straight, the first thing he saw was Aster's face twisted in a grin. "And if that wasn't enough, let me say it's easy to get rid of someone when they're healthy. I can only imagine the simplicity of taking out a one-armed prince." The world came to a grinding halt, and Merlin felt as though he'd been jerked by the sharp stop. The dots disappeared and everything blared out with blinding clarity. His gaze drifted from the floor up to the prince before him.

"'Scuse me?"

"You heard me, boy." He smirked before turning away and walking around the room. "And besides, it can't be that terrible being my manservant." They glared at each other for a moment, before Aster broke the silence once more. "You know I'll win. No matter what, I'm a prince and you're the servant. That's the way it is." _That's not the way it was_, Merlin thought reminiscently, remembering the blurred lines with Arthur. They weren't quite there, still servant and master, but there was something growing there, something much akin to friendship.

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It had been that way for weeks. Arthur would watch them duel, then could only do just that as he pushed him to the ground and just about beheaded him. _I wouldn't stop it if I could… _He'd watch Merlin scurry around, always having something to do and the bags under his eyes growing darker with each day. _I don't care if he gets enough sleep…_ He'd watch bruises appear seemingly as by magic on the boy's body, yet no one would dare address it out loud (though Morgana did spare both he and Aster their year's quota of glares). _So? That's just how he decides to handle his servant. It's between him and his servant._ Yeah, _his_ servant.

Too bad he wasn't his.

Arthur stomped childishly out of the room, trying to ignore the guilt twinging in his broken arm. Jonathan (that was his 'new' manservant's name), scurried after him.

"Stay back and clean my room," he ordered softly. The thought of having a bumbling, blabbering servant following him around everywhere still burned him up, but he didn't want to be too rude. _I'm losing my touch._ He thought, humorlessly. Without even noticing it, he'd instinctively walked right to Aster's door, which was cracked open a bit.

The sound of a fire being prodded brought him to push at the door. It opened to reveal Merlin, pushing insistently at the fire. He grimaced at the bruise decorating the side of his neck and half of his cheek.

"Why don't you just quit?" Arthur hissed, before even noticing that he had entered the room. The fire prod faltered in his grasp and he flinched skittishly. The prince had never seen the boy so nervous before, and he missed that huge grin that could determine his mood for the day.

"I can't," was his simply reply. Arthur watched as Merlin placed the metal rod against the wall before rubbing his eyes sleepily.

"Why? You never had a problem disobeying me, why can't you do the same with him?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted it. Merlin turned and eyed him fruitfully, taking time to look at his broken arm. From that angle, Arthur could see his whole face. The normally clear, blue eyes, though still blue, were now bloodshot and had veins running through them. They looked sunken in from the lack of sleep and his hair was a ratty (rattier) mess. The bruises on half of his face weren't mirrored on the other, yet there were still a few purple splotches decorating the side of his face. His anger ebbed away as he stared at the pitiful boy before him. Why hadn't anyone said anything about him yet? "Why?"

"I just… I just can't," he whispered, glancing up at him. Almost immediately his eyes were alight with fear.

"I would appreciate it if you would stay away from my servant," Aster commanded quietly. The raven prince leaned against the doorway and examined his nails.

"We were just talking," Arthur defended softly, not missing the glare that the prince sent in Merlin's direction. He marched out of the room, leaving behind Merlin, but his heart beat faster as he turned his back on his servant.

The walls of the castle nearly felt constricting as they wound around him. Finally, he made it to the door he was looking for and rapped his knuckle against the rough wood.

"Come in," Morgana called. The door pushed open to reveal the brunette sitting at the window. Gwen brushed softly past him with a muttered 'excuse me'. _Okay, I know you two don't want to talk to me right now,_ they'd been that way ever since he'd given up on Merlin. Gathering what courage he had he sauntered over to the window and leaned against it. She never allowed her gaze to leave the countryside.

"It's about Merlin," he sighed, knowing that skipping pleasantries and getting right to the point would be the only way to talk to the ward. She bristled and turned to glare at him.

"Okay, what about him?" her voice dripped venomous sarcasm. "Do you mean those bruises he's acquired of late? Or could it possibly be his obvious lack of sleep? Take you're pick, Arthur, there's sure to be more." She paused to allow her words to sting him individually, and that's exactly what they did. "I do believe he's had them for awhile, but I don't think anyone's had the gall to stand up for a _servant_," she hissed out the last word and it hit him worse than any sword or venom known to the magical and non world. He knew she was right, he really did, but he didn't feel like being guilted right now.

"Why haven't you said anything, then, if you think he's in so much trouble?"

She snorted angrily and her nostrils flared, a dangerous glint flashing through her eyes. "You know you're the only one who could get the King to see things."

"He does see them! He just refuses to acknowledge them! To him, Merlin's just a servant… to him, Merlin doesn't even have a name."

"You've got to make him acknowledge them, then! How hard could that possibly be, Arthur? How hard?" her voice cracked slightly and she cleared her throat, obviously choosing to ignore his last remark.

"Do you think he'll take my word against another prince's, to defend a servant?" he asked, raising his voice in anger. He'd had this argument over and over in his head, for all the countless times he'd gone to see Uther, after watching another one of Aster's 'disciplinary tactics' (for Heaven's sake Merlin wasn't a child), he'd stopped himself with that very argument. Morgana's anger died down to a simmer, but she was in no mood to be nice.

"Have you even tried? How do you know, he might surprise you," her voice was softer, but still anger laced. Arthur opened his mouth to retort, then snapped his mouth closed without a word.

"I've been surprised enough lately," he answered coldly before exciting the room. The weight of Morgana's words weighed heavily on his shoulders, and no matter how much he tried to shrug them off, he couldn't.

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_Bwa-ha-ha! What shall happen next? I know... but hopefully you don't. '3'_


	3. Knight

_I'm SO sorry for that extra-long hiatus. I thank all of my readers who returned, even though I all but fell off the edge of the world. I hope you enjoy this chapter._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin. All rights belong to it's respectful owner.

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The next day was just as bad as its predecessor, save that Arthur was better rested the day before. He'd had a nightmare, yet it had seemed so real, too real to be precise. It was about Aster and consequently, Merlin. Arthur had stood up to his father, yet Aster had just stood behind his father, smirking and holding Merlin by his tagalong scarf. His father, of course, had said that was Aster was simply making Merlin more efficient, and that if only Arthur'd have done it, it wouldn't be so painful now.

"You mean rough him up?" Innocent, bumbling Merlin? In a flash, the scene had morphed into two bridges, his father on one and Merlin on the other. Uther was oblivious to it all, as a bed sat (rather comically) on the bridge. Merlin on the other hand was frantically trying to get off the bridge, but he kept falling and nearly breaking the bridge. For some reason, he was drawn to his father's bridge. Nearly a meter from the bridge, Merlin's creaked ominously and the younger Pendragon turned to see Aster, smirking in all his glory in-between the two bridges on the opposite side.

Arthur had spun on his heel and rushed to the other bridge, only to have the bridge he'd just ran away from groan in defiance.

"You can't save them both," Aster laughed, and suddenly Merlin was sitting beside him, glancing around confused. "But I must say, of them all I'd rather have this little guy," he smirked, grabbing the pale servant's chin.

It was about then that Arthur woke up.

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Merlin woke up, sweating streams and breathing hard. It was almost as if the dream had found a way to become tangible and ha lodged itself into his throat. His sheets had almost drank up the sweat and were spongy and wet. Itching for some cool air, he kicked himself out of bed and hauled himself up to the window.

For a moment, he admired the stars twinkling by the trillions. And then the moon that seemed to be at the center of it all. His gaze seemed to drift down of it's own accord to the ground, and what he saw made that dream come back with a painful slap.

Aster was standing on the ground, staring unwaveringly up at his window. His teeth almost glowed in the night as he smirked. His dark ringlets swirled around his head as the wind ripped around the small clearing at the ground.

Merlin's heart jumped into his throat, blocking all thought patterns to his head. _That nightmare…_ almost as if reading his thoughts, Aster gave a low snicker that echoed up to the young warlock and sent a shiver running down his spine. Almost immediately, Merlin knew something was up with the young prince.

"Merlin," he extended the word and said it like he was singing a note to a song, a gruesome song if by Merlin's standards. His next words were lilting and twittering like a mockingbird. "Did you have a nightmare?"

Merlin wanted nothing more than to just retreat back to his bed and duck under the covers. Yet, he felt like he couldn't. "No." Though that word was short and barely lived in the night air, it was enough to let the manservant's true feelings shine.

Again, the sadistic minstrel sang the small comment "Don't lie to me." Merlin self-consciously rubbed at the splotching bruises on his neck and face, willing them to fly away along with the memory.

"How would you know?" Merlin was confident in his question. Most of the time, Uther's ban on magic was the bane of the warlock's existence yet it also helped him; he couldn't admit to magic… and no one else could.

"Are you saying something, manservant?" There was a pause in Aster's patronizingly rhetorical question. "I think you need to come down here and help me with some late-night chores. You've been getting lazy."

Merlin would've scoffed if it had been anyone else.

"And I need to talk to you about Arthur." The raven warlock froze, remembering with a rush the dream, Aster's threat; '_…I can only imagine the simplicity of taking out a one-armed prince._' then the nightmare he'd just had… _"You can't save them both.'_ His heart raced uncomfortably and he clenched his fists by his side, as he quickly dressed then made his way to the still-smirking prince. "I see you're superstitious with your dreams. Thinking they're going to come true."

"How do you know?" Merlin hissed as Aster grasped his elbow and dragged him in his wake.

"Allow me to illuminate that subject later. But for now, lets go somewhere a little more private." At Aster's last comment, Merlin jerked his arm back and stood his ground.

"We can talk right here!" Merlin argued.

"I think it is in more than one person's best interest if we go somewhere _else_." Aster's low voice took on the usual sadistic edge, and Merlin took a shuddering breath before complying.

The young warlock couldn't help it. If his dream came true, he felt his world might just rip itself apart. _If it came down to it, I have to save Arthur. But… I can't just sacrifice Uther. Arthur'd kill me!_

Merlin's mind wrapped itself into circles as he thought and tried to figure out an answer to his problems. By the time he noticed that they weren't outside anymore, it was too late to try to remember the course to get out.

They were going through tunnels, seemingly endless tunnels. Merlin let out a shocked gasp as they turned another corner.

"Where are we?" he asked, though sure he wasn't going to get an answer. Even in the dark and besides the fact that he could only see the back of his head, he could paint a picture of Aster's smirk.

"Should've been paying attention." He sniffed. Merlin made a childish imitation of Aster before concentrating on where he was. The tunnels were large, there was plenty of head room. They were round, and there appeared to be some sort of lichen growing on them. It glowed sickly, making Merlin, as he noticed his hands, even paler. "Ah, almost there."

_Where's THERE?_ Merlin shouted in his mind, glaring at the back of the Prince's head. "Enjoying the trip?"

"Not really," Merlin muttered, taking a chance and going out on a limb of insolence. So far, the sadistic prince hadn't done anything, but then again he always had been kind of sporadic.

"Good." He said bluntly, satisfied. Merlin snorted under his breath. For a few more moments they walked in uneasy silence, and then Aster came to an abrupt stop. "We're here."

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

"Where is that servant?" Arthur muttered, running a hand through his hair for what must've been the hundredth time that hour. True, Merlin wasn't his servant anymore, but he should've been there. It was a meeting his father had put together, everyone was there, including the everyone's servants, standing obediently behind the chairs. The shuffling of his _current_ manservant reminded him that his was there.

Aster was there, his eyes never leaving the elder Pendragon as he spoke, not even a drop of worry etched in his expression. Arthur, on the other hand, was full of worry and couldn't focus on what his father was saying. So, when the meeting and everyone was dispersing, Arthur just sat there, staring at his goblet like it was the answer to everything. Coincidentally, when Aster sat down beside him, he noticed not a thing.

"Something wrong, Arthur?" He asked, his voice honey smooth. The prince jumped, then turned to the man.

"Excuse me?" It came out in a low snarl. Aster drew back, his face full of mock worry.

"Well, you just seemed pensive and worried all through the meeting. And nearly biting your servants head off when he asked if you wanted anything..." the other prince tsked quietly. "You should really watch your temper."

"There's nothing wrong with _my_ temper," Arthur snapped, drawing closer to Aster. "Can I say the same for you?"

"Whatever do you mean?"

"Where's Merlin?" He finally asked the question that had been burning on his mind all day. "What'd you do to him?"

Aster's eyes opened wide, the very essence of innocence. "What makes you think I did anything to him?" An uncontrolled snort of laughter broke from Arthur.

"What could make me think you didn't? You've been abusing him ever since he started serving you! What kind of prince are you anyway?"

"Actually, I thought I saw Merlin last night..." Aster overrode Arthur's questions. The prince's back straightened. "He seemed dead set on going somewhere, but I wasn't going to ask."

"How did you see him?" Arthur asked, a slight hope growing in his stomach. But... the logical part of him was waiting to squash the flourishing seedling.

"Out my window." And it was true, Aster's window had a perfect view of Gaius' chambers. Arthur gave a small frown.

"So you were just staying up late last night and you saw him go somewhere?" Aster gave a solemn nod to the affirmative. "Did you see where he went?"

Aster's face lit up, "I did! Or at least I saw the general direction. I could take you there if you want..." he trailed off at Arthur's unsure agreement. The raven-haired prince stood and beckoned he follow.

Arthur blinked as they entered the broad daylight. It glinted sharply off of the dew of the grass... but it seemed to wash out the details of the town. Women in bright red scarves and deep blue dresses now seemed to be in pastels. It was a strange occurrence, like a spell or a dream, but Arthur tried not to think of it. Instead he just followed the prince he wasn't sure he wanted to follow. They made their way quietly around the castle and to a corner that was right under Aster's window.

"He came right here?" Arthur asked, confusion directed at the sheer wall before him.

"Yes," Aster replied tartly, obviously sensing his companion's skepticism. He looked around for a second, then walked around the corner. To Arthur's surprise, there was a huge hole in the back of the castle. _My bloody castle has a hole in it!_ It was shocking to find it there, but then he realized that no one ever came back here. There was only about a yard in-between the back of the castle and the wall. "Well..."

Aster's face was shocked as he glanced at the hole. "I guess... this is where he went." Arthur would've rolled his eyes if he weren't still shocked there this hole was here, possibly leading somewhere Arthur had never known about. It was still possible it led to a loose tile in a wine cellar or something... but Arthur wasn't counting on that.

The prince swallowed hard and followed the other into the darkness. Soon, he was enveloped in the velvety darkness, but just as soon, green lichen lit up the darkness. It radiated around the narrow tunnel, turning Aster a sickly green.

"We're almost there," his voice reverberated, but even that couldn't hid the sickness behind his words. And that's when Arthur began to worry.

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_Well, there you go. I hope you enjoyed it._


	4. Rook

_Wow, I don't think I have enough space to show my gratitude to all of the reviews and favorites and those who have read. Thank you so much! *Passes out Cyber Starbucks or your choice of goody* I hope you enjoy this chapter!  
Disclaimer: I do not own Merlin. It belongs to it._

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_**Thank you, ruby890 for pointing out to me, I had the last chapter in this one -.- I fail epically! This is not a new chapter, this is just me taking out the last chapter. Sorry.**

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"Why would Merlin come down here? He sees a mouse on the ground and jumps up onto a chair. I highly doubt he would venture under the castle to Heaven knows where under his own free will." And there it was, expelled out into the darkness, what Arthur had known the whole time: _his own free will._

Aster didn't allow space for a pause. "Maybe there are things you don't know about the boy."

With a snort, Arthur dismissed that idea, "like what? He's the heir to an underground legion of ancient underground warriors who are plotting to take over my castle?" It was a swish of hair and fabric that alerted the blond prince to the raven's turn.

"I know things about people in this castle that would make your hair curl. You can't see past your own life to look into that of others." He snapped, drawing closer. The words bit into Arthur, so he simply created his own to spit back.

"Don't get short with me, Aster. I'm not a helpless servant. And so what? You came to this castle to teach me a lesson like a good fairy godmother? Rubbish…" Aster took his words into consideration for a second before drawing back.

"No, but I do have my reasons." Another swish and he had turned back to the path. For the rest of the little trip, Arthur took his mind off the absence of his (yes his) manservant by imagining the prince before him wrapped in pink clothing and fluttering through the tunnel on iridescent wings, flinging glitter here and there.

M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~

It was shockingly cold, the inert air biting into his skin. Particularly did it nibble around his wrists and ankles. Green lichen radiated around the (as far as he could tell) small chamber, offering little in the way of light besides a glow that outlined the craggy silhouette of the edges. He craned his neck, creating an arch that did nothing but disservice to his vertebrae that didn't seem to have the ability to pull away from the wall more than a few inches. Cold metallic shackles wound from the ceiling down to his now captive wrists.

_Huh_… it wasn't a question, merely an observation that the captive was too afraid to evict from his mind. His breathing echoed weirdly in the chamber, so when the voices wound into a sonata with his breathing, it quickly overpowered the shallow pants.

_"Are you sure he went this way?"_

M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~M~

"Are you sure he went this way?" Arthur asked, just to be a bit of a prat. He knew there were no other ways to go.

"Where else would he have gone?" Aster's voice held a note of aggravation. Ahead, Arthur could see a sharp turn. A couple more steps and the raven prince disappeared around the corner. Unease drifted through Arthur as he neared the corner. Out of habit, his hand drifted to the hilt of his sword, his thumb rubbing circles into the well-worn hilt.

The hallway opened into a small cave on the other side of the corner. In the half-light everything looked different, Aster's black curls, the gray walls, his manservant's grand ears…

Then it occurred to him just how desperate his manservant looked.

"M-Merlin?" He had half expected his bloody servant to be sprawled out on the ground, having tripped over some load of rubbish and banged his head on a rock. _Not_ chained to a ceiling, glancing up mortified at the black-headed prince… then at his prince in a look so full of relief it nearly hurt the Pendragon.

"Arthur," his voice caught in his throat and he let out a sigh.

"Merlin!" Aster mocked his voice high. "Arthur!" his voice rose another octave. "I couldn't thank you more for being here today." He sounded like the opening to one of Arthur's father's meetings.

"What do you want? Blatantly beating him wasn't enough for you?" Arthur's sword was now pulled. Aster looked hurt.

"I wasn't beating him, I was shining him up for you," he laughed and punched at Merlin's elbow, then ran a hand across his cheek affectionately. The young servant grunted and jerked his head away. "I proved that he can follow directions, he's ready for you if you get him back." He said it so nonchalantly, the blond prince almost missed the 'if'.

"What do you mean if I get him back?" a horrible thought hit him. "You're not thinking of staying here, are you?" Merlin let out a shallow yelp as Aster's sword was drawn and eased against the floor, creating an angle from the ground, across Merlin's neck, and all the way to the prince's strained hand.

"Well, I don't want to keep this servant if I do." He brought forward the sword and slapped the flat side to his chest sharply, prompting Merlin to give a pained gasp. "That's where you come in!" His voice was a tad too gleeful.

"Look, you're not going to boss me around like some servant. I demand-"

"You're in no place to be making demands!" he roared, his voice vibrating around the cave as he turned the sword on its edge. Merlin inched as close to the wall as he could, focusing on something that might've been on the sword. His body began to tremble and he clenched his jaw in concentration, his lips pursing. Then, his eyes widened and he let out a gasp as his whole body went limp. He and Aster exchanged a look and the prince chuckled imperiously at something that flew entirely over Arthur's head.

And Arthur didn't like not being in the loop.

"What?" he asked, his voice tight. Aster gave him a look that generally said when coming from teachers and such, you wouldn't get it. Arthur felt his temper begin to simmer.

The dark-headed prince exchanged one more glance with Merlin before waving a hand in an effort to pass off the conversation, "First thing's first. Arthur; I'm going to need you to go back to your room and pretend everything's fine." Arthur opened his mouth to snap something. "If-" Aster gave him a warning glance, "if you tell anyone about this, you won't even be able to find the body of this little bauble," his quick, pale hand twined itself into Merlin's raven locks, rearing his head forward before bringing the servant's head back to collide with the wall. He let out a pained moan and Arthur's simmering anger went into a rolling boil.

"Oi!" he shouted, stepping forward and raising his sword. "Leave him alone!" Aster stepped forward and with a smirk, he ducked under Arthur's infuriated swing and slapped the back of his head with the flat of his sword. He kicked out his leg, tripping the blond. Arthur landed on his arm, jarring the sword out of his hand. Instinctively, he rolled onto his back and swiped a leg under Aster, sending the other prince in a lurch to the ground.

Taking advantage of his adversary's downed position, Arthur scrambled up towards Merlin, his sword lying forgotten to the side. The young manservant's head lolled around, his eyes clenched shut, and a few strands of glossy raven hair fell into his face.

"Hold on Merlin," Arthur murmured, grasping at the shackles with his one good hand and turning them to get a good look at them. Just as he realized how futile it was to try and break the chains with all the raw muscle in one hand, Aster reappeared in his line of sight.

"Cocky prince," he spat, drawing his fist back and punching him in the face. Arthur stumbled back, only to be once again tripped by the raven. His head collided hard with the rock floor, his injured arm throbbing painfully, and stars danced on the edge of his vision as Aster placed a foot on his chest. Vaguely, he thought he heard Merlin shout something, but all was lost in a seemingly red haze as Aster punched him in the jaw, once again ramming his head into the rock wall. "Shut up, your pathetic servant!"

Arthur grabbed Aster's foot, twisting the ankle as painful as he could before wrenching him to the side and onto the ground. He rolled on top of him and gave him a punch in the face.

"How do you like it," Arthur snarled, grabbing a handful of Aster's hair and banging his head into the ground. "No one as cruel as you deserves to be a prince," he punched him in the nose, which erupted in a spurt of blood and crunched sickly.

Aster gave a loud cry, placed his palm on Arthur's solar plexus and shoved him. The blond stumbled back, gaining his footing just as Aster rammed his elbow into his side, shoving him against the wall. His head hit the rock and his feet slipped out from under him. The Pendragon winced as he hit the ground, reaching up to gingerly touch the wound on his head.

"You don't get what you want by deserving it. You just take it," Aster panted, his lip drawn up in a scowl as blood dripped from his nose, painting his face demonic. Arthur felt his stomach twist as he felt the unforgiving touch of the sword on his chin, but it wrenched itself in half as he noticed his own sword pointed at Merlin, the sword said manservant had polished, dropped, and coincidentally polished again hundreds of times before. The sword on the blond's neck jerked up in a motion that told him to stand. He bid the raven's command, albeit a tad clumsily as he only had one arm at his disposal. "Listen to me…" he ground out as he clenched his teeth and shook with obviously concealed anger. "You're going to go back to the castle. No one is going to know about this. Merlin went to go visit some family members. I will selflessly go without a servant for awhile. Then," his mouth curled into an extensive grin, showing too many teeth that were now stained with blood. "The real gem."

"Look," Arthur raised one hand in a hopefully appeasing motion. "Just, put down the swords and, I can get you what you want," his face was troubled and he felt it. "I'm the Prince of Camelot, what do you want?" Grudgingly, he realized he should've tried this first, but can you really blame a guy? Aster raised an eyebrow and his face dropped into disbelief.

"You expect me to believe you?" he snorted mirthfully. "Besides, you'd never give me what I want without the incentive I've got."

Arthur's hot-blooded nature began to grab hold again, "I'm a man of my word," he snapped regally, "let Merlin go, and I will give you what you want."

"How about," his face showed mock thought, "you do what I said, I'll keep your little bird, and I'll still get what I want."

"Now, that hardly seems fair," Merlin snapped, speaking up and glaring balefully at Aster. The dark haired Prince turned his head slowly and Merlin seemed to shrink.

"You bring it on yourself," his voice was too calm, his body too lax, his hand too shaky. Arthur rushed to make his move, but not fast enough.

Aster rotated, grabbed Arthur's broken arm, and turned it as much as its bindings would allow. Arthur bit his cheek, but found his mind shut down and concentrate on the pain.

"Can't you just stand still?" he hissed as he pushed Arthur back into the tunnel. Still holding his afflicted arm, he gave a shove that pushed the prince to the ground. "I've just about had it with you…" his voice was constricted and he fiddled with the two swords before placing them both to the Prince's chest. "There's plenty of other people I can use for this chore."

"Wait!" Merlin's voice echoed strangely though the tunnel. Aster seemed to take a cleansing breath before kicking Arthur's arm and marching back to Merlin.

"Just shut up!" he shouted, raising his foot and kicking the young man's stomach. Aster kneeled down so he could look Merlin in the eye, a long-suffering sigh erupting from him. "Arthur," he called, not glancing at the man, "my plan."

Said prince tried his best to get himself off ground, ignoring the rippling pain in his arm. His eyes widened as he saw Aster playing his sword against the fabric of Merlin's shirt. "What?"

The raven stood, his face all at once tired and triumphant. Deftly he tossed a small object towards Arthur and he fumbled to catch it. It sat innocent and happily sloshing it's liquid innards around.

"That vial contains a poison. Scentless, tasteless, no one will know it's there. I want you to put it in the King's drink."

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_Dun-dun-duuun! I hope you liked it ^^ TTFN_


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